


The Groom's Instruction Manual

by DJClawson



Series: Theodore Nelson's Adventures in Sharing a Workspace [19]
Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Elektra - mentioned, F/M, Frank Castle - Mentioned - Freeform, Gen, M/M, Marriage, Past Matt Murdock/Elektra Natchios
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-23 16:50:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18553828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJClawson/pseuds/DJClawson
Summary: Theo always knew the guest list was going to be complicated.





	The Groom's Instruction Manual

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you to LachesisMeg for her beta work!

After months of fretting, and the acquiring of a ring via a complicated court case about tax evasion and welfare fraud, Foggy finally proposed to Marci. For about three days before, he looked like he was ready to explode in flames from pure nerves. Matt said his heart was only slightly slower than the time Foggy was punching a Daredevil imposter who had just murdered six people. But everything went well, as everyone knew it would, and because Foggy was a little bit of a drama queen, he did it when giving a speech at an otherwise terribly boring and awful dinner for the the Bar Association that Matt said they only went to because it was a required ritual to keep up appearances and seek the approval of their older colleagues, whom they might eventually face in court or arbitration. He said even Jeri Hogarth was moved, and while Theo had never met Jeri, from Foggy’s limited descriptions during his time working for her, that was a big deal. 

Since Matt said toggling Whatsapp was a pain, the news didn’t hit the family channel until the dinner was over and Foggy called their parents and their mom posted about it. Theo’s phone was blowing up all night. He didn’t get to congratulate Foggy in person until the next day.

“I hope you’re not offended,” Foggy said, “but I asked Matt to be my best man. Not that I don’t want you as my prime groomsman. I think Matt might not be 100% on top of the bachelor ritual parts of it.”

“If you’re asking for help with color coordination for the tuxes, it’s really fifty-fifty that I’ll be better than Matt at that.” This was a particular part of life that Theo had never given a shit about, and took full advantage of his casual wardrobe to never worry about matching anything. Matt, meanwhile, fretted excessively about finding the right tie if they ever got mixed up, and he went through elaborate rituals at night to make sure they didn’t get mixed up. He kept a spare suit at Theo’s, and it had its own hanger, and the correct tie and shirt hanging with it. Theo was tempted to make fun of him for it, but never did, since he knew how much Matt needed to care about his appearance not just when he was in court, but in general, to show that a blind man could be as put together as a sighted person. 

(Meanwhile, he didn’t give a shit if his Daredevil shirts were particularly caked with blood, and he only washed them when they got smelly.)

After work, they went out to celebrate, and Karen joined them. “I’m not going to have to be a bridesmaid, am I?” she asked as she sipped her beer. “Not that I wouldn’t be honored. And I would do it. I’m just not a fan of that whole ... thing.”

“Uh, I think this is all up to Marci,” Foggy said. “I’m just gonna let her take the reins. Or her family take the reins. I don’t know. I just know if they ask us to pay for it ourselves, we’re doing it in the shop. Maybe at the register.”

“Not during the lunch rush you’re not,” Theo said. 

“Fuck you!” Foggy tapped the table. “And I need to stop cursing. Which I blame you for.”

“Hey,” Karen said. “I feel like we all contributed.” 

“Cursing at work is one of the pleasures of the work day,” Theo said. 

“Only our clients are allowed to curse in court,” Matt said. “And we never recommend it. Not if they want the jury to not see them as a criminal.”

“If the prosecution’s witness does it, that’s gold,” Foggy explained. “Because it makes him look like a scumbag. Juror bias 101.”

Theo left them early, not because he didn’t want to celebrate but because he had to be up at three in the morning to drive his rental car to Bill’s farm, get his special order filled, drive back, make the delivery, then return the car in time to open the shop. When he’d been salaried, it was his absolute favorite job, because the customer paid in cash and tipped  _ outrageously _ , but as a small business owner he was less motivated. She paid for all of the delivery expenses without questioning the price they set, but it was a lot of hassle. At this point it was definitely more loyalty to a customer than anything else.

Parking in Chinatown was always terrible, but the end of rush hour was worse, and it was almost nine when he finally made his way to the shitty, nondescript laundromat. He knocked on the apartment door. “Mrs. Gao?”

She always opened the door herself, even though she was like, eighty or something. She lived alone. He wondered if she had kids, but knew he could never ask. “Good morning,” she said to him.

“Sorry about the hour,” he said. “I have to get back and open the shop. But it’s fresh.”

She smiled at him and nodded sort of sideways. She was always bent over, relying heavily on her cane to get around. “That is the only thing that is truly important.”

He removed the tin of cow hearts from the cooler and put it in her empty fridge for her. As usual, it was same-day delivery. It used to bother Theo that they were living cows when he got to the farm, but he also didn’t judge people’s food choices because he wasn’t a hypocrite. 

“How are your parents?” Mrs. Gao asked, like she always did. She had never been in the store and didn’t know them personally - Theo had no idea when she started making her orders, which were never more than once or twice a year, but he knew it was before he was old enough to make deliveries.

“They’re good. They retired. Moved to Florida. I’m running things now.”

“All by yourself?” She sounded concerned. Like a grandma. 

“I know, I need to find a partner or something,” he admitted. “But I don’t want to admit that to them. Yet. But it was time, you know? Pop has arthritis, Mom wants to be somewhere warm.”

“If you walk around this neighborhood, people will give you ugly roots to make into teas for stiffening limbs,” Mrs. Gao said. “It’s all garbage.”

He knew he shouldn’t laugh but he did. “He’s much better down in Florida. They just got a place. I haven’t seen it yet. Haven’t been able to take the time off work.”

“Make time,” she said, not too firmly. She was never mean when she was insistent. “It is important to honor your parents.” She pulled a few bills out of her wallet. Several of them were hundreds, way more than what was required. 

“I can’t accept this,” he said more easily than he did when he was on an hourly wage. 

“Plane tickets are expensive but that is not an excuse,” she said. “People can wait an extra day for their hamburgers and salty cucumbers.”

“Hey! We do a little more than that,” he said. “But okay. I’ll make some time. Somehow.”

“Good boy,” she said, and he didn’t complain because she had known him as a boy and she was crazy old and she did just tip him two hundred dollars. 

Fortunately for him, it was a slow day at work, and he got a nap in just before lunch service started. He was still very happy to close up and get out the door in good time, so he could have his second burst of energy at home, where it was always more fun. He was barely home when someone knocked. 

“Coming!” he said. Matt usually didn’t knock. He also didn’t always come in the front door. He set Sadie’s bowl down of especially fresh steak down and unlocked the door. “Oh. Hey.”

“Hey,” Karen said back to him. “Can I come in for a few minutes? I want to talk to you about something.”

“Um, okay.” He shut the door again so he could undo the final latch and reopened the door for her. “Is it serious?”

“Nothing, um, super serious,” she said. “Matt and Foggy are at an emergency bail hearing, by the way.” In other words, she wasn’t here looking for Matt. “So this is your place.” She gestured to Sadie, who was eating. “Foggy said not to touch her.”

“That’s for the best. She’s not very social.” He closed the door and went to the fridge. “You want something? I have beer and a lot of juices nobody likes.”

“No, I’m good. Thanks.” She sounded a little nervous. “Oh my G-d. Is that a dollhouse? Are you making a dollhouse?” 

“Not making it. Electrifying it for my niece,” he explained. “You can look.” He was referring to the plastic sheeting, which was there during the day to make sure nobody decided to use it as a scratching post. 

“I had one of these!” She knelt on the floor and gaped at it. “It was never fully furnished. I think I had maybe two rooms done before I was a teenager and wanted other things for my birthday.”

“Yeah, the whole thing is crazy expensive,” he said. “It’s a fun project. I haven’t done anything like this in a really long time, unless you count jerry-rigging machines in the shop.”

“I’m sure it’ll be great.” She stood up and dusted herself off - his floor wasn’t that dirty but from what he understood, those skirts were impossible to keep clean - before taking a seat at his table. “So, um, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m bothering you.”

“You’re not bothering me.”

“I just wanted to talk to you where we wouldn’t be overheard. It’s about my boyfriend. Because - I felt like you deserve to know.”

He picked out a juice for himself and took his own seat. “We were just messing with you a little bit. Which we shouldn’t have done.”

“No, it’s - it’s just that I know Matt knows even though I haven’t spoken to him about it, but he’s spoken to him about it because they’ve run into each other, and Foggy’s really curious because he’s Foggy, and he’s going to be the one who’s most upset, so - I don’t know, I just thought this would be a good idea.” 

“Why would Foggy be upset?”

“Because it’s Frank. Frank Castle,” she said. “And I know Foggy did his best, but he wasn’t thrilled with defending him because Matt and I talked him into it, and he’s gone out of his way not to keep up with the news, and he said your family was really upset that he took the case in the first place.”

“Yeah, we um - wait, we’re talking about the Punisher, right? There’s no other Frank Castle?” Because honestly, there were about a bajillion people in New York and he wanted to be sure.

“Same guy. Who has saved my life on multiple occasions. And Matt’s at least once. And Brett’s. And he was pardoned but I know your family has this thing - “

“We have a cousin in the Dogs of Hell,” he said. “He was on the other side of the country at the time Castle was having his rampage, but if he hadn’t been, he probably would have been one of those guys that he, you know, murdered.” 

Karen pursed her lips together. “I’m not going to try to justify it. He’s the Punisher. It’s what he does and I’m sure he and Matt have argued about it plenty. But he’s also a great guy for me if you can compartmentalize this all and he’s my boyfriend and I think I love him and I’m asking him to move in with me. So.” 

So. This was not what he was expecting, but he hadn’t had a chance to come up with something to expect. “I don’t know him. If you say he’s a good guy ... I have to take your word for it.” He shrugged. He could do this. He could compartmentalize. “And my boyfriend’s kind of a psychopath, so I guess I can understand.”

“Do you call him that?”

“Do you call Frank a murderer?” he said, making sure it was clear from his voice that he wasn’t accusing her of anything. “Matt knows what he is. He likes hurting people. I think it’s disturbing but I also really like him. So it’s complicated.”  _ But he also never killed anyone _ went unsaid. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Anything.”

“Is what Foggy said at the trial true? The whole bit about him stuck in fight-or-flight mode?”

“Frank was shot in the head. He has brain trauma and PTSD. I think combat mode comes more naturally to him than ordinary life. But over the time I’ve known him, he’s gotten much better. He’s gone to therapy with other vets and ... he’s had time. When he was first arrested, it wasn’t more than a few months since his family was gunned down in front of him and he was declared dead on the operating table. So there’s been some recovery. He’s not the same person he was when he was a client at Nelson and Murdock. But when Foggy gave that speech, he wasn’t trying to trick anybody. That was real psychology based on a real assessment.” She added, “And you probably shouldn’t tell Frank I said he was in therapy.”

“And don’t tell Matt I called him a psychopath. I mean, he’ll take it in stride, but still, don’t do it,” he said. “Do you want to like, bring Frank around the shop or something?”

“Not necessarily. I just would prefer to not feel like I have to talk around it. If Foggy can handle it.”

“Foggy can handle it,” Theo said. “Foggy can be a mature adult about this. He puts up with Matt’s shit.”

“He hasn’t always dealt with it  _ well _ ,” Karen pointed out. “And he liked Matt going into this.”

“Foggy _ will _ deal with it,” Theo replied. “We’ll make him.”

“Some family loyalty.”

“I ... don’t think people should be judgmental about what other people eat and who other people date. And fall in love with. Maybe. Maybe that’s a strong term.”

“Maybe,” Karen said. “But - I just connected with Frank. Even during the trial, I did most of the meetings with him in the hospital and jail to bring him up to speed on the case. And when I was in danger, he came to rescue me, and I somehow knew he would. That sounds ridiculous, since I had known Matt much better and for longer, but that’s what it was. A connection. I know that doesn’t make sense - “

“It doesn’t have to make sense. It’s love.” He looked at his feet and said. “I think I might love Matt. I haven’t told him. I don’t want to tell him. I don’t want to put that on it.”

“Because you’re afraid to commit,” Karen said knowingly, “because you can’t see a future with him.”

“Because he’ll be dead,” Theo said. “If he keeps this up, he definitely will be. And I don’t want to think about that. I have tried really hard not to think about that, but Matt’s not like the other superheroes. He doesn’t have a magic healing ability. He’s only been at this a couple years and he’s already halfway in traction. But it’s so scary to think about that I just don’t.”

Karen nodded. Maybe  _ this  _ was the conversation she didn’t know she needed to have. “A  _ lot _ of people shoot at Frank. He’s got gear, but he doesn’t always wear it, and it doesn’t cover his head. And I don’t know how much  _ he _ cares but I care. I’ve told him, but it hasn’t stopped him, and I know it’s not going to.” She didn’t want to dwell on the obvious. “Please don’t tell anyone. I know Frank takes jobs with your family’s construction company, and it’s hard enough for him to get jobs where they don’t ask questions.”

“That’s pretty much how anyone gets hired in construction,” he said. “Of course I won’t tell.”

“Thank you. And thank you about being understanding about everything we’ve put you through, having us in your shop.”

“Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without you.” He didn’t add,  _ Probably not have hooked up with Matt _ . “Especially you. For a guy who eats a lot of meat, Foggy sure doesn’t know his meats.” And Matt being behind the counter made the customers nervous, even if he wasn’t doing anything he couldn’t do. 

“I hoped I’d seen the end of my diner days, but it was better than I expected.” She stood up. “So I’ll tell Foggy in a few days. When everything settles down.”

“I don’t think things are going to settle down for like, the next year, if I understand weddings correctly, but good luck with that.”

“I have my ways. See you tomorrow.”

Karen left him in the apartment with a cat who reemerged from under the bed, where she had retreated to as soon as she finished her meal. Sadie rubbed up against his legs insistently.

“How do you even know I have something for you?” He retrieved the jar of raw milk from the fridge and poured just a little bit in the now-empty bowl. “Don’t drink it too fast. You’ll make yourself sick.”

Despite the nap, he was asleep as soon as he was done with his shower and his hair was blown dry. He only half-heard Matt, and not until he was maneuvering himself into bed beside him. 

“Hey,” Theo said, because he figured Matt already knew he was awake. 

Matt kissed him. “Sorry to wake you. And you still smell like a farm.”

“There’s milk in the fridge and I can testify how many people’s hands have been on the bottle, so you don’t have to bother to tell me.”

His boyfriend slipped back out and finished off the small amount left. “What’s the farmer’s name - Bill? His leather gloves are falling apart.”

“You’re an unappreciative ass,” Theo said. “And yeah, he should use plastic, but that’s not good for the environment, is it?”

Matt - who was stripped down to normal clothes, not the boxers and undershirt he wore when taking his evening constitutional - returned to his side. “What did Karen have to say?” He did not say how he knew.

“She’s in love with Frank Castle, and he’s probably going to move in with her. The first part was mostly implied. She also said you talked to him about it.” Technically, she had only said that she loved him, not that she was  _ in love _ with him. Theo understood the difference.

“We cross paths sometimes,” Matt admitted. “He tries not to because he knows I’ll stop him if he tries to kill anyone.”

“How considerate of you.”

“He really does love her,” Matt said. “Much more than he’s capable of expressing, though I don’t know how much that says.”

“If we do the wedding at the shop, my family will never forgive me.”

Matt grinned. “That might be a little much.”

“This is a supremely loaded question, but have you ever thought about getting married? In a general sense?”

“Yes,” Matt replied without hesitation. “To Elektra. We were joking when we talked about it, because we were college kids, but I wasn’t. We talked about marriage and kids like they were concepts that were too lame for us, but I wanted them both. Even if I could never get her inside a church. We could have done it on a rooftop for all I cared. Or in the back of a stolen car.”

“Who would marry you in the back of a stolen car?”

“The guy in the front seat, obviously,” Matt said, and they both chuckled. “And then we would have kids and name them after ourselves and of course, the girl would be smarter than the boy, and everybody would know it as we cruised around the world in our own private yacht. And she had the money to make it happen.”

“Setting the bar a little high there, don’t you think?”

“And Foggy wondered why I didn’t find tort law interesting anymore,” Matt said. “I don’t know what it would have been. Probably too destructive to get that far, even if we both really tried. If I somehow got her away from Stick and the Chaste. Part of me still believes that could have happened. Part of me  _ needs _ to believe.” He continued, “But, other than that ... I haven’t given it a lot of thought. Is that disappointing?”

“Matt, I only had one guy I had a real relationship with before you and I wouldn’t even  _ move in _ with him. And I  _ loved _ him. So, we’ve both got issues.” Not as traumatic as Matt’s ex dying twice, but everything was relative. He put his arms around Matt. “This is good. This is enough.”

It was more than enough.

 

finis


End file.
